From the region

GARDNER — A 52-year-old man badly injured in a house fire Wednesday has been identified as Richard Rushia.

Mr. Rushia was listed in critical condition at the UMass Memorial Medical Center — University Campus in Worcester Thursday.

Fire Capt. Richard P. Ares rescued Mr. Rushia from the second-floor bathroom of his home at 158 Logan St. Firefighters performed CPR on him before he was taken by ambulance to the hospital.

The fire was most likely started by a cigarette in a sitting room, Capt. Ares said.

Firefighters were called about 11 a.m. and saw smoke coming from the house. Neighbors alerted them that Mr. Rushia was inside.

The home is owned by Mr. Rushia’s parents.

STURBRIDGE — A 24-year-old Southbridge man was arrested Wednesday night and charged with child endangerment after police found him driving near Wendy’s with an open container of Four Loco malt beverage and a 4-year-old boy inside his Plymouth Voyager van just after 10:30 p.m.

Mitchell S. Spenard had a blood alcohol level of 0.14, police said. His mother came to the restaurant and took the child.

Police were alerted to Mr. Spenard by a caller and found his red van near Wendy’s. Police said there was another adult in the vehicle who was not charged.

Mr. Spenard was arraigned Thursday in Dudley District Court on a child-endangerment charge along with charges of drunken driving and having an open container of alcohol. He was released on personal recognizance. He is scheduled to be back in court March 7.

Uxbridge was one of six wastewater treatment plants in New England recognized for exemplary performance, according to an EPA news release issued Thursday. The others include Taunton, Lee and Adams, Mass., Westerly, R.I., and Gorham, N.H.

The Uxbridge wastewater plant staff, led by Chief Operator Jim Legg, Operations Manager Bill Buma and Department of Public Works Director Benn Sherman, stood out for its exceptional work on operating and maintaining the plant.

“The professionals operating these wastewater treatment plants, as well as the municipalities and the state environmental agencies that support them, are essential to keeping our environment healthy by protecting water quality,” said Curt Spalding, EPA regional administrator, in the new release.

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection was instrumental in nominating the facility.

Mr. Sherman told selectmen in October that the new draft permit it received from the EPA, allowing the plant to discharge treated sewage effluent into the Blackstone River, limits the amount of phosphorus it can release to 0.2 milligrams per liter and limits nitrogen to 8 milligrams per liter.

Mr. Sherman said the cost to update the 35-year-old facility to meet the new standards could be $30 million.

DUDLEY — Jeffrey Redmiles of Webster was found guilty of drug possession with intent to sell and sentenced to one year in prison with credit for time served.

Mr. Redmiles, 32, was one of five arrested Nov. 30 on drug charges after neighbors complained about frequent traffic and open drug dealing from his apartment at 40 Prospect St.

In Dudley District Court, Mr. Redmiles was charged with possession of a class A substance, possession of a class A substance with intent to distribute and conspiracy to violate the controlled substance law.

At the time of arrest, Mr. Redmiles was on probation for an earlier offence. In addition to the sentence for drug dealing, Judge Timothy M. Bibaud issued a sentence of one year in prison for violating the terms of probation.

The charges of drug possession and conspiracy were dismissed upon the request of prosecutors.

STURBRIDGE — A local woman lost $300 after she sent a prepaid credit card to a caller who told her she needed to pay taxes and other fees on cash she had won from Publishers Clearing House.

Police Sgt. Kevin Mercier said the woman put $300 on a Green Dot MoneyPak and provided the caller the PIN hoping to be able to collect her winnings.

“She said she really needed money and she thought all her prayers were answered,” Sgt. Mercier said.

But instead, she was scammed out of money she needed, he said.

The scam has happened in several states and some victims have reported handing over thousands of dollars. The timing sometimes coincides with the mailing of the actual Publishers Clearing House contest packets.

Sgt. Mercier said police are investigating and that the call appeared to have originated form Rochester, N.Y., though the caller ID could have been bogus.

He said anyone who receives such a call should not respond and if they have sent money, they should notify police. Often the cases go unsolved and the calls could be coming from outside the country.

“The best defense is to hang up,” he said. “Legitimate companies do not do this type of business; people doing this over the phone are thieves.”

DUDLEY — Dudley District Court has dismissed a charge of receiving stolen property against Quintrell Dailey of Hartford.

Mr. Dailey, 21, was a passenger in a car stopped by state police for speeding on Interstate 84 in Sturbridge on May 17. Police reported finding $7,500 worth of clothing with attached price tags, burglary tools and no store receipts in the vehicle.

Mr. Dailey was charged with receiving more than $250 in stolen property.

Donors will receive free gifts, including a pair of movie tickets. The drive benefits area health care facilities, including St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester. For information, call (508) 383-1230 or visit iwilldonateblood.com.